Rivals Can't Agree On First Thing

SOUTHWEST RANCHES — Should the town's new mayor and council immediately begin running their government after they are sworn into office at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 8?

Or should the Town Council take its time making decisions and let Broward County continue running things?

The answer is becoming an issue in the July 25 election for mayor and four council members.

The Southwest Ranches Homeowners Association, the civic association that got the state to create the town this year, and many candidates say residents will suffer if the council is not prepared to quickly take over.

The association has created transition committees and recruited dozens of volunteers to provide background for the council when it meets for the first time on Aug. 8. Each committee is looking into a different area, from law enforcement to fire-rescue to the budget to zoning.

"A great number of things will need the council's immediate attention, so we're doing the legwork now," said Mecca Fink, the association's president and a candidate for mayor. "Then, when we have elected officials, they'll be ready."

But others say there is no hurry, that Broward County will continue providing services.

"I think we should go slowly, taking deliberate steps," said Vincent Falletta, also running for mayor. "Where's the fire?"

Until now, Southwest Ranches was unincorporated. Property owners paid taxes to Broward County, which provided all services. As a town, Southwest Ranches will levy property taxes and use that money to pay for services that it provides.

Rather than create its own police, fire, recreation, water, sewer and planning departments, the town will contract with outsiders.

County officials say their obligation to provide city services ended when Southwest Ranches became a town on June 6. Because the mayor and council do not take office until Aug. 8, the county agreed to continue until then.

That means the town must sign new, interim contracts with the county on Aug. 8, according to Fink.

Interim contracts, however, would last only until Sept. 30, the end of the county's fiscal year. Taxpayers paid for service only through that date. On Oct. 1, Southwest Ranches will be responsible for providing services.

The transition committees appointed by Fink include experts in each field. On the budget committee, she said, are Charles F. Dodge, who administers a multimillion-dollar budget as city manager of Pembroke Pines, and Forrest Blanton, a top-level administrator of the Memorial Healthcare System.

On the police subcommittee is Capt. Deborah Berry, commander of the Broward Sheriff's Office district that includes Southwest Ranches. On the fire-rescue subcommittee is Doug Couvertier, a battalion chief for the Miami-Dade Fire Department.

"We're pretty much fact-finders," said Johnny Dollar, chairman of the public safety committee.

Falletta said there is no rush to make decisions.

"I think we're on a Loony-Tune trolley to disaster if we try to take off running," he said. "The first thing we have to do is hire a town administrator and town attorney."

Steve Leland, another candidate for mayor, agrees.

"We don't have to have anything on Aug. 8; there is no hurry, we can take our time looking for contractors," he said. "The first thing we have to do is find people to run the town. The council isn't supposed to run it, we're supposed to have administrators. There is no timetable that says when it has to be done."

Some business can't wait even for the council to take office on Aug. 8.

The state-imposed deadline for every municipality to provide county property appraisers with its estimated tax rates for the following year is Aug. 4. That's four days before the council takes office.

County officials said the council can meet informally before it takes office, set the rate, submit it to the county and ratify it four days later when the council is sworn in.

Joe Kollin can be reached at jkollin@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7913.